


Possession

by adeclanfan



Series: Elizabeth!Verse [13]
Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-09
Updated: 2012-01-16
Packaged: 2017-10-29 06:55:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,526
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adeclanfan/pseuds/adeclanfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Awakening, Helen Magnus notices some changes in her and they are not for the better. My much talked about AfinaPossessed!Magnus story. Four prompt sanctauary_bingo postage stamp story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

_  
Without Nikola, Helen Magnus didn’t know how she would get away from the vampire. The dark tunnels seemed to go on forever and she had already done a fair bit of adventuring that day thanks to Nikola and his nefarious schemes. She let her mind drift to take the edge off her exhaustion and the aches that were beginning to make themselves known throughout her body._

 _“Is something wrong?” Afina asked, in that strangely flat voice._

 _Magnus stopped and looked at the vampire, trying to decide the best course of action. “No, I‘m fine.”_

 _“You look tired. We will rest here.”_

 _“I’d rather keep going.”_

 _Afina turned to her. The look on her face was a study in amusement, exasperation. “This will be much easier for you if you cooperate. Nikola can‘t save you…”_

 _“It would be a mistake to underestimate him,” Helen stated._

 _Afina smiled and it was cold, calculating. “I hope you’re right. I love a good challenge.” She placed a hand on Helen’s shoulder and squeezed just a little. The hand was warm, but the strength in that grip sent a little shiver down Helen’s sweat drenched body. When the hand moved up her neck, Helen tried to push it away and put some distance between them, but Afina caught her by the shoulders. The fingers weren’t hard enough to bruise, but it wouldn’t take much pressure to change that._

 _Several possible ways to break the contact occurred to Helen in the heartbeats they stood locked together, both unwilling to make the first move. If she hurt Afina, if she was even capable of damaging the much stronger vampire, it would almost certainly end with her being hurt worse. She wasn’t afraid of getting beaten; she’d taken beatings and worse before in her long life. Violence was a part of the worlds she moved in._

 _“You want to fight me,” Afina said, her tone clearly amused. “As much as it appeals to me, I have a better idea.” Her hands moved from Helen’s shoulders to cup her chin and she had a fraction of a second to register that she was going to be kissed before the warm, dry mouth was covering hers. She didn’t return the kiss, so Afina grabbed Helen’s left breast and gave it a sharp pinch. Her mouth opened under Afina’s as she let out a gasp of pain._

 _Once Magnus’ lips were parted, Afina began an all out assault on her mouth with lips and tongue and teeth. Afina’s fang nicked the inside of her lower lip and they both tasted Helen’s copper penny blood at the same time. The vampire’s grip on her tightened, and her lip was sucked into Afina’s mouth, and then released. Magus winced as the cut throbbed in time to her quick pulse. She had no time to panic as she felt herself being shifted and lips at her neck. With all the bravado she could muster, she repeated her earlier statement, “I hope you choke on it.” It came out much too weak and breathy._

 _Afina growled a deep rumble in her chest that Magnus could feel in her own body where they were pressed together. She kissed Helen again quick as a snake striking, and this time it wasn’t her own blood Helen tasted. This blood was like metallic acid burning her mouth and slipping down her throat, but the vampire’s tremendous strength wouldn’t allow her to pull back. The tongue in her mouth continued to bleed and she couldn’t escape it as it flooded her mouth. When she was allowed to come up for air, Helen could feel the burn of the blood in the back of her throat and into her chest._

 _The blood sent agony shuddering through her. Her clothes had been soaked in sweat before, and now it was like her body was turning to burning ice. Her muscles went rigid and she tried to focus on breathing slowly through the pain, in and out. It was so much worse then she remembered after injecting herself with the vampire blood at Oxford._

 _“That was inferior blood. Mine is more potent, and will effect greater changes within you.”_

 _Helen knew with absolute certainty she hadn’t spoken aloud. Her lips were pinched shut from trying to keep from screaming from the pain. So how did Afina know what she was thinking? “It is a gift. Something we give our servants, so that we might be in better harmony.”_

 _“Dear God…” Helen gasped; the last thing she wanted was a mental connection to a vampire. The pain was lower now, in her guts and creeping ever lower. Sudden cramps doubled her over, threatening to make her lose the last remnants of her breakfast. Strong arms lowered her to the ground and she bit her lip until she tasted blood to keep from sobbing like a child while she thrashed._

 _“It will pass soon. If I could take the pain away, I would.” Afina’s hand stroked her hair back from where it was matted to her forehead. “Breathe through the pain.” Afina pulled Magnus onto her lap and held her. “You’ll be stronger, now. Faster and harder to hurt or kill.” The vampire licked her lip and the throbbing cut she’d given herself healed like magic. “After the first, blood exchanges can give pleasure rather than pain… You are strong, a warrior in your own way, and lovely. I will enjoy exploring your mind and body.”_

 _Helen’s eyes were tightly closed as she rode out the searing pain, but suddenly it was as if a projector turned on in the dark behind her eyelids. In the image, she could see a city. It was huge, sprawling to the horizon. She gasped. “Yes, this is also a part of the gift. Look at my beautiful city. See it for the wonder it was.” The image flickered and another image replaced it. “This was my throne room. And my palace.” The telepathic slideshow continued for several minutes and Helen‘s brain struggled to keep up, and at times even to remain conscious._

 _When the last image faded, Helen realized that the pain was gone. Afina had used the images to distract her. She pulled herself up from Afina’s lap and rolled out of reach. Once she was on her feet, Helen braced herself against the tunnel wall until her legs were steadier. The tunnel seemed brighter, the details more sharp, like someone wearing new glasses for the first time. Movement caught her attention as Afina stood and brushed the dust from her clothing._

 _“We should move,” Afina said. “The tiny taste of your blood will hold me for a while and we still have a walk ahead of us.”_

 _“I won’t serve you. Not now, not ever.”  
_  
\----------

“Bloody hell…” Helen sat up in the bed, her heart racing and cold sweat breaking out from every pore. Turning, she read the clock on the bedside table and allowed herself a small growl of frustration.

Her bed was empty for the first time in months and the utter stillness of her room grated on her already worn nerves. Kate and Elizabeth had gone to London for the week for some fun, and Magnus sent them off with her blessing. She approved of the bond forming between them, and wanted to encourage it. It didn’t mean she wouldn’t miss them, especially her sweet, sensual ‘Lizabeth.

A bottle of sleeping pills was in the drawer under the clock, and it taunted Helen with the promise of sleep. It should be welcome, by all rights she needed her sleep. There was a conference call in the morning on some sensitive issues, and she could not afford to be seen as inattentive. The reason she was loathe to take the sleep inducing pills was because of the dreams. She would sleep, but the trade off would be Afina, again, and then Magnus would have to admit that the vampire had truly damaged something inside her when the Vampire Queen fed her that caustic blood. Damn her.

Even having Elizabeth in her arms nearly every night for most of the summer didn’t soothe her enough to block the dreams. If anything, they were growing in intensity and duration. Helen racked her brain for a solution, but one refused to present itself. There was no way to undo what the damned blood had done. She had no defense against the nightmares, the cravings for blood in the middle of the night, and even her eyesight had become so much more sensitive she had to wear sunglasses more and more often now, or suffer headaches.

Speed, strength, healing ability. All three had been mentioned by Afina, and all three presented almost immediately after leaving the tunnels. The heightened sense of smell and the ability to see more acutely in the dark were also clear indications of more closely developed ties to the vampires. It was becoming more and more challenging to hide the fact something was different with her. In the end, she let Afina and her cursed blood win and took the pills, but only because Magnus felt she had no other choice.

\----------

Nikola answered his cell phone on the seventh ring with a terse, “Who are you and what do you want?”

“Tesla,” Elizabeth said softly.

It was obvious he didn’t recognize her voice. “Yes. I’m a very busy man, go away.”

“It’s about Helen.”

“What about Helen? You have exactly three minutes, and then I hang up.”

“Something happened to Helen when she was with you in the caves.”

“Yes, she was beaten black and blue by the Queen of the Damned. What do you want me to do? Kiss her boo boos? I’m sure they are healed by now, it was over a month ago.”

“Helen is different since she came back,” Elizabeth insisted. “I think Afina did something to her when they were alone.”

“How did you know that name?” Nikola demanded. “Helen and I swore not to mention her name, ever. Not to anyone.”

Elizabeth sighed. “Nikola, Helen has been crying the name in her sleep.”

Nikola was interested, now. “How do you know what Helen Magnus says in her sleep? Are you James’ Kitten from London?”

Elizabeth scowled, even though she knew he wouldn’t see it, “I have a name you know, it’s Elizabeth, so try not to forget it. Please, Nikola. You’re the only one with any real knowledge of vampires. You need to come to Old City and talk to her.”

“This is Helen Magnus we’re talking about, Kitten, she isn’t going to just tell me, or anyone, something is wrong with her. She doesn’t work that way. What do you expect me to do?” A thought occurred to Nikola, “Has she done something?”

Beth hesitated, not sure how far she could trust him, but their need for his help overrode her concern for Helen‘s reputation, “She hurt Kate. And afterwards, she had no memory of it, so we decided it might be best not to tell her, until we could get you to talk to her.” Elizabeth’s voice broke, “We told her we wanted to take a vacation in London, so she wouldn’t see what she did to Kate until it could heal.”

“How exactly did she hurt Kate?”

“Helen bit her… I think she was trying to drink her blood.” Elizabeth took a deep breath, “God, Nikola there was blood and terrible bruises, and it hurt Kate so much, but it was like Helen wasn’t home. I had to get Kate away from there, but we didn‘t want to leave the others with Helen, because they have no idea what’s going on…”

“Did they see Kate‘s wound? Did you heal it?”

Elizabeth hesitated, “No, I bandaged it, and we couldn’t just leave for London! I decided to get a hotel in New City. We don’t have much time before Helen figures it out, though. She’ll come looking for us. Kate brought a stunner with us, and she thinks maybe we can knock Helen out when she gets here. If we get her here, can you take a look at her?”

“I can try. Give me the address of your hotel and I’ll be there in about six hours. I don’t want either of you to speak with her yet, understand? You’ll need to take the batteries out of your cell phones and pay for everything with cash from this point on, it‘s harder to track you that way.”

“I paid with cash, and I’ll deal with the cell phones. I had to give Kate something strong for the pain. She‘s out for a while.”

“Good girl,” Nikola said. “When this is over, you and the other kitten are going to owe me.”

Beth sighed. She knew Nikola‘s help would come at a price, “You just help Helen, and we’ll find some way to repay you.”

The line went dead and Beth pulled the battery out of her phone. Then, she found Kate’s and did the same.

Elizabeth stared out the windows at the sunrise, hugging her knees to her chest, rocking softly and letting the tears fall while nobody could see her. She had never been on a mission for the Sanctuary network, never wanted to for that matter, and if it came down to it, she was more of a liability than an asset if Helen fought them. Beth knew she wasn’t cut out for cloak and dagger games, and there were so many things about this that could go horribly wrong. Helen wasn’t going to be happy with them for lying to her. If she did what needed to be done to save Helen’s life, but lost her trust… Beth didn’t want to think about it.

After the storm of fear and doubt passed, Elizabeth went back into the bedroom. A few hours before, she gave Kate something strong for the pain and as soon as Nikola examined the bite mark, she would heal it. Until then, all they could do was wait and hope it took Helen more than six hours to find them and they were prepared to hold her here until Nikola could undo whatever this Afina had done to her.

Laying down next to Kate‘s sleeping form, Beth kissed her forehead before snuggling into the other woman and trying to sleep.

\----------

The morning conference call was concluding, and everyone was anxious to sign off and get back to work, but Magnus wanted to check up on Kate and Elizabeth. “Declan, would you stay on for a minute, please?”

“Sure, what do you need?” Declan smiled at her.

“How are Kate and Elizabeth settling in?”

There was a long pause, followed by a frown. “Kate? She’s not here. Neither is Elizabeth. Were they planning to come for a holiday?”

“They left on a flight to London yesterday.” Magnus frowned, “They told me they were staying the week with you in London.”

“I haven’t seen them.” Declan typed something into his tablet. “The gps tracker in her pendant says Elizabeth is in… that’s strange, it says downtown New City. Maybe the flight was cancelled or they got bumped to a later flight.”

“It’s odd that they wouldn’t have come home to wait it out.”

“I’ll see if I can narrow down the signal to a building. Give me a minute.” Declan's fingers flew over the keys, typing furiously. “Almost got it. There.” He frowned at the screen, “It’s a hotel. A very expensive hotel in the heart of New City. Maybe they are… you know… shagging each other senseless before coming home.”

“Unlikely. When it comes to the young women and their getting caught having sex in unusual places around my house, I feel I‘m being quite fair. I’ll try to reach them on Kate’s phone, before I send out a search party to hunt them down. Thank you, Declan. We‘ll talk later.”

“Right. Good luck with that.”


	2. Chapter 2

Nikola arrived at their hotel in the mid-morning, creating a rush of activity as they made their plan and prepared the hotel room for the arrival of one concerned, and possibly pissed off, Helen Magnus. Elizabeth was left behind when Nikola took Kate to get some ‘supplies’ and bring back a late lunch.

So when the lock on the door beeped and made the tell-tale click, Elizabeth wasn’t prepared for it to be Helen, and not Kate and Nikola, looking back at her.

“Oh shit,” Elizabeth gasped.

“Elizabeth, would you mind telling why you aren’t in London?”

Helen was deceptively calm and reasonable. Still, there were obvious physical signs Helen wasn’t sleeping well. She had dark smudges under her eyes, and there was a stubborn, tense set to her jaw. She put the gun she was holding away in the waistband of her jeans, and Beth’s eyes were drawn to the tiny flash of skin it created along Helen’s belly. She swallowed the lump in her throat. “We couldn’t leave. There is too much going on here.”

“I don’t understand. What exactly is going on? Why didn’t you just come back to the Sanctuary? Why the hotel room?” Helen was eyeing her suspiciously.

“When Kate gets back, she can…”Magnus started to cross the room toward her, and Elizabeth glanced down at the stunner on the table beside her right hand. She didn’t know how to do more than pull the trigger on the weapon.

Helen noticed her eyes on the stunner and stopped moving, clearly frustrated. “What the devil is going on here? Are you thinking about shooting me with that?”

“Yes.” Decision made, Elizabeth picked the weapon up. She had no way of knowing if Helen was herself or not. It was better not to take the chance. The weapon wasn’t pointed at her lover yet, but she turned her barstool in Helen’s direction and watched her nervously, both hands on the grip.

“I’ve built up immunity to stunners over the years. If you don’t get the correct setting, it could have no effect, or it could kill me.” She started inching closer, again. “I know you don’t want to hurt me, ‘Lizabeth. Just give me the weapon.” She put her hand out.

Elizabeth lifted the stunner and aimed at her lover, “I don’t want to hurt you, Helen, I love you, but right now I‘m not sure if you are still you. “ She had to hope Kate knew what setting to use, and had already adjusted it. If she hurt Helen, she would never forgive herself. “Don’t come any closer…”

“What is the matter with you?” Magnus huffed at her. “Why are you acting like this? I would never hurt you.”

Beth hesitated, and then decided she couldn’t wait for Kate, “I wish to God I could believe that, but you did hurt Kate.”

Magnus frowned, “When was this? Kate and I are rougher with each other than you are used to; maybe what you think was… ”

“No.” Elizabeth shook her head emphatically, “That wasn’t what happened. Two nights ago I left her alone with you. I knew you were acting strange, but I left you, anyway. It’s at least partially my fault she got hurt.”

“How was she hurt?”

“You bit her!” Elizabeth winced.

Helen looked shocked and puzzled and then something like fear crossed her face. She recovered quickly. “I don’t remember biting Kate. How are you certain that is really what happened if you weren‘t in the room with us?”

Elizabeth’s right hand left the weapon and picked up her phone from the table and turned it on. She flipped through the pictures, while still keeping an eye on Helen. When she had the one she took of Kate the night of the incident, she tossed the phone to Helen. Helen’s move to snatch the phone out of the air was so quick, Elizabeth could swear her hand’s movement blurred. Beth tried to swallow the sudden lump in her throat, but her mouth was too dry. Her hands shook around the grip of the weapon as she watched Helen scan the picture, and then the two that followed it.

“I didn’t do this. I would remember doing something like this, Elizabeth.”

Beth jumped as the door lock beeped and the door swung open to admit Nikola and Kate. Helen chose that moment to rush her, and her fingers pinched Beth’s near the stunner’s trigger. With a yelp, she tried to free her hand and only succeeded in putting enough pressure on the trigger to make the weapon fire and hit Helen in the shoulder at almost point blank range.

Helen registered surprise and then slumped to the floor. Elizabeth dropped the stunner and looked up at Kate and Nikola in mute horror. “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to shoot her. Oh God. “

The room swam and suddenly Kate was holding her up and leading her to the sofa. Kate helped her to sit and cupped Beth’s face in her palms, “Elizabeth, listen to me. It was an accident. You didn’t shoot her on purpose. Calm down, ok?”

“Please tell me you didn’t set that to kill…”

“Of course, not. The doc is just knocked out. It takes more than one shot to do more than stun.”

Beth wasn’t convinced. “Magnus said I could kill her if it was on the wrong setting…”

Kate rolled her eyes, “She was lying to get you to put the stunner down, Beth. You are going to have to learn her tells. Maybe we should play poker with her some night…”

There was movement from the other side of the couch. “Nikola! I demand to know what is going on here, and why my wrists are bound!”

Elizabeth watched his face light with humor. He said, “Helen, good to see you. It’s only been a month, I know, but I thought I’d drop in and lure you to a hotel and tie you up for a bit.”

“Nikola, get this bloody thing off my wrist right now or…” Magnus struggled to get to her feet, and Nikola let her.

“Uh uh uh. Not so fast. Why don’t we go into the other room and talk while the kittens have lunch? They must be famished.”

“Kittens?” Helen glared daggers at him, but that only made him smile more.

Nikola smiled. “Kate and Elizabeth, of course. “

“They need to go back to the Sanctuary. Right now,” Helen demanded.

“I don’t think either of them will go for leaving me here alone with you. Isn’t that right, Kitten?”

Elizabeth bared her teeth at him in frustration. “Don’t even think about it.”

“See.” Nikola gave an elegant shrug. “I told you. They don’t trust me to be a gentleman if they leave us here in this most luxurious hotel suite all alone. They’re afraid something is wrong with you, Helen. I think I’ve known you long enough to be able to tell if something is wrong, don’t you?”

“There is nothing wrong with me. I’ve been tired, maybe, but I wouldn’t bite Kate like the pictures Elizabeth showed me. I wouldn’t, no matter how tired I was.”

“Of course, you wouldn’t.” Nikola shrugged, “but Afina would.”

“What does she have to do with this? And why did you use her name? I thought we decided not to do that.”

Elizabeth stepped around the couch, but kept a cautious distance from angry Helen Magnus. “I told him her name, Helen. It’s what you’ve been calling out in your nightmares since you came back from that mission. You were catatonic for hours after you bit Kate. I cleaned everything up. You can’t tell me any of that is normal nighttime behavior.”

“You’ve only been sharing my bed for two months. That is hardly enough time to become an expert on my nocturnal habits.” Her tone was so acerbic in her anger, Beth heard Kate gasp.

Elizabeth blinked once very slowly, then turned and stalked into the nearest bedroom, the one she was sharing with Kate, leaving the trio to stare after her. Over her should she called, “Go ahead and just keep pretending nothing is wrong. I’m not imagining things and neither is Kate.”

The door slammed closed behind her and Elizabeth took deep breaths to keep from screaming. Why did Helen have to be so damn stubborn?

A minute later, Kate came in with the bags of burgers and fries and their strawberry shakes. Her expression was sympathetic. “The doc’s pissed. We knew she would be, didn’t we?” Kate set the bags down and put an arm around Elizabeth’s shoulders. “I don’t think she meant that to come out sounding as bitchy as it did.”

“What if she did?”

Kate kissed her on the cheek. “She’d better watch it or Declan and I will kick her ass.”

“I don’t think you can, Kate. She moved so fast her hand was a blur.”

“Shit. That‘s a bad sign.”

“Too fast for a human or even Magnus.”

The fact that Beth called Helen ‘Magnus’ was not lost on Kate. “Don’t do that, Beth. Don’t start to distance yourself from her like that. It was one comment made in the heat of the moment, you aren’t losing her.”

“I’m afraid I lost her a month ago, and I just realized it, now.”

“Tesla will fix her.” Kate said with certainty. “I’ve seen him do crazy ass things before; un-vamping the doc should be a piece of cake.” Kate unwrapped a burger and put it in Elizabeth’s hand. “Eat that before it gets cold… well, colder.”

\----------

Nikola and Helen watched Kate follow Elizabeth into the bedroom. The door didn’t slam this time, but it did shut firmly.

Helen turned her gaze back to Nikola, and Nikola smirked. “Oops. That didn’t go very well, but it’s nice to know Kitten has claws, if she needs them. I don’t think the girl has ever shot anyone. Poor thing almost fainted.”

“Damn you, Nikola. What are you playing at?”

Nikola held up a hand. “Oh no, this has nothing to do with me. I was only called in for a consultation.”

Magnus frowned, “They shouldn’t be in New City, especially Elizabeth. They should be at home…”

“Under the EM shield and away from Johnny, you mean? Does your Kitten even know about John Druitt and his penchant for scaring the shit out of your lovers? Did Kate tell her about Montreal?”

Helen gaped at him, and then closed her mouth with a snap. He gave her time to let her find the words. “I haven’t said anything to her about John. I haven’t seen him in… a while.”

“But he’s in your thoughts enough to insist Elizabeth not stay in a hotel where she doesn’t have an EM shield to protect her. He‘s not going to be happy knowing you‘ve given a piece of your heart to a slip of a girl, or anyone, for that matter.”

“I’ve loved people since John. What we had was over a very long time ago. There have been plenty of others.” Her toned was defensive.

Nikola laughed, delighted. “I’ve struck a nerve. Oh, this little drama is getting good. Answer this for me… how many of those ‘other’ people have moved into your rooms in your home and share your bed every night?”

Helen sat down hard on the couch, her hands still bound in front of her with a black zip tie. She held her hands up, “Would you mind?”

“I don’t mind, but this isn’t my show.” Nikola wondered just how much Helen knew about her young, delicious lover.

“Who is running the show, then? Kate?”

“Elizabeth brought Kate to this hotel to get her away from you, after you injured her. Elizabeth decided they couldn’t just fly to London and leave the rest of your team with you in your current state. Elizabeth called me, and convinced me to come fix you. Elizabeth didn’t, however, call her other lover and get you locked in a cell in your own Sanctuary; instead she decided to lure you to New City, and fix you as discreetly as possible, to protect your reputation. I would say little Elizabeth Watson is calling the shots. Wouldn’t you? James would be so proud, his little girl is all grown up, and managing to keep both you and Declan Macrae exactly where she wants you.”

Nikola watched Helen work through that in her head. “I’ve got a problem.” She reached the same conclusions he did, obviously.

“Oh, you have more than one. I can only help with the Bitch Queen of the Damned. The rest of the mess is completely up to you to sort out.”

Her eyes narrowed at him, “You’re enjoying this.”

“No, Helen. I assure you, I’m not.” Nikola sighed. “This hotel suite is so thick with the Kitten’s distress pheromones I can barely breathe. It‘s making me want to beat the hell out of you. Hurting you isn‘t what I should be thinking about with you all tied up and at my mercy. ”

Nikola pulled an electronic device out of one of the shopping bags he and Kate had liberated from the Old City Sanctuary on their supply run. He turned it on and whistled at the readout, then tipped the display to let Helen see the little needle was in the red. “I could pick up her subtle scent messages. She doesn’t smell anything like a human, and she doesn’t taste human, either. Did you know her blood is fizzy like champagne? I’ve never tasted anything like it. And, I was intoxicated for several hours on just a few mouthfuls.”

“You promised not to drink human blood, Nikola.”

Nikola smiled, and shrugged, “She’s not human, so that old chestnut doesn‘t count.”

“Declan is and I seem to remember he came away from that party with a bite mark as well.”

Nikola shuddered, “As great as he is in bed, the man’s blood tastes like sucking a mouthful of dirty pennies.” He smirked, at her wide eyed expression. “You will never have to worry about me developing a taste for human blood. Kitten’s blood… well, it could be a problem.”

“If you bite her, I’ll kill you,” Helen growled.

Nikola laughed. “Now, you’re feeling the pheromones. And you’re getting all protective and alpha on me. That’s so sexy… What an interesting and very effective defense mechanism. Make all the egocentric, bossy alpha types jump to take care of you and protect you. I hope she has lots of adorably kittenish offspring with Macrae. That will make life so much fun. But enough about her, Let‘s talk about you.”

“Let’s not.” Helen scowled at him. “Let’s let me go. Now.”

“Can’t do that. If the Queen Bitch is making you bite people in your sleep, the least she could do is give you fangs so you can bite them and drink their blood properly.” Nikola tsked, and move to sit beside her on the couch. “Tell me about your symptoms.”

“No.”

“Pretty please.”

“No. You are not a doctor and you are not playing one on me in some perverse little fantasy.”

Nikola feigned shock, “I will be nothing but completely professional, especially when I bite you.” He grinned. “I’ll even let you choose between the neck and the thigh. Oh, and unlike you who are only a vampire wannabe,” he leaned into her. “I can use my saliva to heal the bruising around the wound, so it doesn‘t leave a hickey from hell.”

“You can’t be serious!” Magnus huffed at him.

“Oh, Helen, I’ve been waiting to bite you, again, for decades. And now that I suspect you have supercharged Afina blood in you…” Nikola leered at her. “I really must insist.”

“I revamped you, and saved your miserable, ungrateful life, Nikola. I injected you with Afina’s blood.”

“Yes, you did. Not very much, though. I could use a top off. And,” Nikola smiled, “it is the most effective way to know if there is something nasty left in you by Afina.” Nikola watched Helen close her eyes and count to ten.

In the end, she sighed, “Bastard. You can bloody well use a syringe if you want a sample of my blood.”

“Spoilsport.”


	3. Chapter 3

Kate left Elizabeth dozing in the bed they shared. Despite waking with Beth at her back, Kate would bet good money Elizabeth hadn‘t slept since Magnus attacked her. The normally sweet, quiet young woman was strong in a crisis, and that night had qualified as a huge fucking crisis to Kate. Magnus had gone completely freaky shit on her and Beth had taken charge and protected her, got the mess and Magnus cleaned up, and come up with a convincing lie to tell everyone, all off the top of her head.

The bed called to her, but the pain of the bite wasn’t going to let her sleep and Kate didn’t want to take another knockout pill if she could help it. Tesla needed her. With a sigh, Kate opened the bedroom door, and closed it gently behind her. The doc and Tesla were sitting on the couch talking quietly. He had the pheromone counter in his hand and she got a glimpse of red before he put the device aside.

“So, was your theory correct?”

Tesla smiled at her, “The whole room was red-lined and it took twenty minutes to get us back to not wanting to kill each other.”

Kate whistled, “Damn. She was pretty upset about shooting the boss, but she’s crashed hard, now. She’ll probably sleep for hours. I don‘t think she‘s closed her eyes since we got here. For someone who’s a total submissive in bed, Beth is completely capable of taking charge in a crisis.”

“Ah. “ Nikola smirked.

Magnus frowned at him. “What?”

Nikola ignored her, and instead he looked at Kate, “Kate, why don’t you tell us what happened that night?”

Kate eyed Magnus, and waited for the boss to nod before she took a deep breath and let it out in a rush. She told them, “Well, after we…” Kate glanced at Nikola and blushed. “I was sleeping and Magnus was thrashing around and woke me. The next thing I know, we’re making out again, but just as things start to get to… a climax, the doc pinned my wrists and bit down on my neck and wouldn’t let me up.” Kate shuddered and unconsciously rubbed the bandage at her neck. “I screamed and Elizabeth came running in and turned the lights on. I think it was the sudden bright light that made the doc go all catatonic, but after that Beth dressed the wound and cleaned up and brought me here.”

“Have you ever seen any behavior like that from Helen on any of the other nights you‘ve spent with her?”

“No. Never.”

“Any strange behavior at any other time?”

Kate shook her head, “No.”

“Sleepwalking? Talking in her sleep?”

“I really wouldn’t know. I almost never see the doc sleep. If Elizabeth didn’t swear she actually sleeps, I would believe the doc doesn’t need any sleep, ever.”

Magnus smirked. “I sleep.”

“You lay down, but you’re awake when I fall asleep and awake when I wake up, so actual sleep? Maybe twice in all the time we’ve been you know… having sex.”

“Ah,” Nikola said, again, not giving away his thoughts, just taking notes on a tablet computer.

“Take the restraints off, Nikola,” Magnus demanded. “If I’m going to hurt someone, it’s going to happen at night in my sleep.”

Kate looked at Nikola and shrugged, and Nikola frowned back at her. He looked at Magnus and smiled, “The minute I take that zip tie off you are going to kick my ass and leave.”

“Elizabeth is sleeping in that room.” Magnus gestured with her bound hands. “I’m not going anywhere without her. Or Kate, for that matter. As for kicking your ass, I think you‘ve had it coming for quite some time. Don‘t you?”

Nikola raised an eyebrow at Kate and Kate looked right back at him. The silent discussion didn’t go in Magnus’ favor. Kate shrugged, “We could switch the zip tie for the padded leather cuffs, and then you will be able to move your arms to a more comfortable position.”

“You do still remember that you work for me, don’t you, Kate? I sign your paychecks.”

Kate scowled. “So, this nasty bite mark on my neck is just a part of the benefits package, right?” Magnus frowned back at her, but didn’t say anything else on the subject of Kate’s involvement.

Kate decided to let it go and move on, “If you’re having nightmares, have you tried taking sleeping pills?”

“Of course I have, but they make the nightmares decidedly worse.”

Nikola perked up. “How so?”

Magnus thought about it for a minute, deciding how much to give away, Kate supposed. “The dreams are more vivid, and violent, after I take a sleeping pill.”

“Do you dream about biting people?”

There was another hesitation. “Yes. And about the taste of blood, the feel of it in my mouth.” Kate felt herself wince, and Magnus noticed. “If I hurt you, Kate, I am truly sorry for it. You know I wouldn’t willingly hurt you, right?”

“Yeah, doc, I know.”

“Do you really think Nikola can fix whatever is wrong with me?”

“Yes. We both do.” Kate nodded. “You… scared us shitless.”

“I imagine it was a terrifying experience,” Magnus nodded. “Would you let me examine the bite?”

“Sure,” Kate shrugged, falling into the familiar role of the reluctant patient.

It wasn’t easy for Magnus to poke at it with her wrists bound, but she did get a good long look at it. Her face said she was not happy. “It looks like it is starting to get infected. Human bites can be some of the most dangerous.”

“It doesn‘t matter, Doc, as soon as Beth wakes up she said she‘d heal it.”

“Heal it?” Magnus asked, blinking at her in confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Beth told me it’s her abnormal superpower; she can heal injuries on other people, just not on herself. That‘s too bad, though, not to be able to heal yourself. She told me she healed a girlfriend’s broken arm in college completely by accident, and she’s healed Declan a bunch of times. Including the time when Will fell asleep during that mission and Declan‘s arm got broken.”

“I’ve never seen her do any sort of healing.” Magnus sounded skeptical. “Ability like that would be documented in her file.”

“Not necessarily,” Nikola said, quiet and serious. “Not if James decided to keep it a secret. She was his daughter as well as an Abnormal living in his house. Heads of House never keep secrets. Oh, wait there was that whole incident with Big Bertha… sound familiar at all?”

Magnus’ jaw twitched. “You have no idea how close I am to smacking you, Nikola.”

Kate realized Magnus really didn’t know anything about Elizabeth’s abilities, at all. “Tesla’s right. I think it’s a big dark secret, unless she needs to use it in an emergency. Beth said Watson told her never to speak of it to anyone, except Declan, and now me. I don‘t know how she does it, exactly, but I guess when she wakes up I‘ll find out.”

Nikola smirked at Helen, “I know how she does it. Alas, I too have been sworn to secrecy.” He was clearly enjoying having information that Helen Magnus didn’t. Tesla was practically bouncing in his seat. He turned to Kate, “Just so you know, it hurts like hell. Have fun.”

“So are we just going to sit around?” Helen asked, obviously frustrated by Nikola‘s taunting and his refusal to give in to her demands that her hands be freed.

Nikola smiled at her. “Of course not. I’m going to take the blood sample, and we can have a look at it.” He tapped his chin, thoughtfully. “I should get a sample of Elizabeth’s blood, too, while I’m at it.”

“Nikola…”

“Not to drink. To study, of course. I could never get her to give me a sample, poor Kitten hates needles. If she‘s asleep, she‘ll never know…”

\----------

Tesla spread blood on a series of slides. The remainder of the vial, he upended into his mouth.

“Oh God, Nikola, that’s disgusting!” Helen scolded him, like a child. “I can’t believe you just did that with my blood, have you gone completely mad?”

Nikola proved her right by picking up an empty beaker and spitting the mouthful of blood back into it. “Damn, that’s foul.”

He shuddered and reached for his wine glass and tossed back the entire thing. Not satisfied with the results, he poured more wine, then added half the contents of one of the other vials to it and drank it all. With the remaining portion, he prepped a second set of slides. “There is something vile in the vampire bitches’ blood. No wonder it’s giving you nightmares.” He looked up from his slides and frowned at her. “Have no fear that I’m going to bite you, I’d rather bite a werewolf and deal with fur in my teeth.”

“Don’t you dare.”

Tesla gave her the mischievous little boy look. “It’s so easy sometimes.”

The bedroom door opened and Elizabeth signaled to him. “If you’ll excuse me, Helen, I believe I’m being paged.”

\----------

Kate was lying beside her on the bed when Elizabeth woke up. “Is it group nap time?” She smiled and tugged on a stray lock of Kate’s dark hair that was hanging over her cheek.

“Only for us kittens.” Kate bared her teeth, “if Tesla calls me that one more time, I swear I will break one of his arms.”

“Can I sell tickets?”

“Oh, yeah. I think we could get a whole auditorium of people who’d enjoy watching that.”

“Hey, I don’t want to rush you or anything, I know you’re tired, but this bite is bothering me and Magnus keeps trying to get me to let her poke at it.”

Elizabeth smiled, “Time to heal it.” She glanced at the door. “What are they doing?”

“They are busy looking at blood samples. And about that, Tesla took a syringe of your blood…”

Beth winced. “He didn’t drink it, did he? That is so damn gross, and the last thing we need is a drunken vampire.”

“No, they are looking at it under the microscope.” Kate slid closer.

“Oh fuck. Well, at least it will keep them busy for a few minutes.”

Kate smiled at her, and it was a good smile. “What do I have to do?”

Elizabeth tugged on the bottom of Kate’s tank top. “Take this off. I want to see your tits.”

“How does that have anything to do with healing?” Kate’s suspicion was adorable. Beth smirked, “I guess it doesn’t, I just like to look at them, and kiss them, and suck on them.”

“You really are a nymphomaniac, just like that other girl in London.”

The younger woman shrugged, “So, your point is what exactly?”

Kate tickled her for a minute and then pinned Elizabeth to the mattress, lifting her hands up over her head. “How do I help you heal me?”

“If you make me come, I do the rest.”

“You’re shitting me! It takes an orgasm to…”

Beth bit her lower lip. “Yeah, I know. Now do you see why I don’t open a healing clinic somewhere and offer my ‘special services’ to every Abnormal in the Sanctuary????”

“Eeeww. Some of those guys are gross.” Kate kissed her long and slow, with lots of tongue play. “Next time I break something, or need stitched up; you are getting a visit from me.”

Elizabeth laughed, “Deal.” She lifted up to catch Kate’s lips and trace them with her tongue. Kate pushed her back down, but she struggled a little, and it seemed to make them even hotter for each other. “Hmm, this is what I need.”

“You must be giving off that scent stuff, again, because I want to eat you up,” Kate groaned and kissed the younger woman’s full breasts through her t-shirt.

“Is it really as bad as that?” Elizabeth asked, smiling wickedly.

“Oh, it’s not bad at all, it’s really fucking good.” Kate’s pupils were dilated, and she was panting. She took off her tank top and reached behind her to unhook her bra, giving Elizabeth’s wandering hands access to her breasts. “Turns me into a nympho right along with you. At least it’s the sexy pixie dust and not the stuff you used on the doc and Tesla earlier. They wanted to kill each other because you were upset.”

“Really?” Beth frowned.

“That’s what he said.”

Elizabeth thought about that. “Do you think it works the other way? Does it make me want Magnus, too? I wonder sometimes about just haw much I want her. It doesn‘t seem normal.”

“I think Magnus has her own magic pixie dust that makes everyone want her.”

“Tesla, too. I met the guy once and slept with him.” Elizabeth winced. “In hindsight, it was a terrible idea.”

Kate shrugged a bare shoulder. “Maybe it’s all of the Five.”

“Loads of women, and some men, were attracted to James, though at the time it was too gross for me to contemplate.”

Kate nodded, “He was your dad, so that’s understandable. I think we may be on to something, though. Even Druitt is… compelling. In the way that a creepy, scary, women murdering way.”

“Who’s Druitt?”

“Oh my God, you don’t know who Druitt is?” Kate’s jaw hung to the floor.

“No. Should I know him?”

Kate nodded emphatically, “He’s Magnus’ psycho Jack the Ripper ex-finance. Think tall, bald and scary as shit.”

Elizabeth felt the color drain from her face, “Let me up a minute. I need some air.” Kate did as she asked, but Beth still felt like there was something crushing her and making it hard to breathe. “Tall, bald, and really pale? With a long, black leather coat?”

“Yeah, that’s him. Have you seen him before?” Kate sounded worried.

Beth nodded. “I saw him at James’ funeral.” She didn’t dare tell Kate about the dozen or so other times she had seen the man watching her since she started dating Helen. “He did look scary. Is he dangerous?” She had hoped he was an employee of Helen or Declan being paid to stalk her. Fuck.

“Yes. He killed a woman in the Sanctuary, for like no reason. She didn’t even speak English. Because he can‘t stop himself.” Kate ran a hand down Beth’s arm. “If you see him, you need to tell Magnus right away.”

“Why?”

“Right after my first time having sex with the doc, she took me to Montreal, and I woke up and he was in the bed with me. Magnus had gone to get us breakfast.” Kate took a deep breath, and Beth could tell it wasn’t a happy memory. “He threatened me and almost broke my arm, because I pulled a gun on him.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah, shit is right.”

Elizabeth sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed. “I think we’ve lost the mojo.” She ran a hand through her hair, thinking, “If I’m going to heal you now, I’m going to need help. Put your bra back on, and I’ll be right back.” Elizabeth padded to the door. She opened it a crack and called to Tesla. It took a minute to get his attention, but he was soon walking over to her. “I need your help.”

“With what?”

“I want to you bite me, so I can heal Kate. I’m having trouble getting into the mood.”

He glanced over his shoulder. “Helen won’t like that.”

“Please, just help me. Please.” She looked up into his eyes and willed him to just say yes, instead he said, “You’re upset. Why are you upset?”

“Fine, don’t help.” Beth turned to close the door, but Tesla’s hand on her arm stopped her.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, I just want to know what upset you.”

Elizabeth willed herself not to cry. “It’s nothing, I’m just overreacting. Kittens do that, you know.”

“Elizabeth. You‘re lying.” Nikola did the last thing she expected and pulled her into a hug. His hand stroked her hair, and it reminded her of that night they spent together. It made her want to trust him, when she knew she probably shouldn‘t. “It’s going to be okay. Helen and I are going to work together and fix this. We think Afina only gets control when she takes sleeping pills at night, or she enters deep sleep on her own.”

“I know you will this is something else. “ Beth sighed, deciding to trust him, “I think that Druitt guy has been following me, since Helen and I started dating.”

Tesla didn’t need any convincing, “John Druitt is a very dangerous man.”

“Kate just told me about him, but I think I have seen him at least ten times in several different countries.”

“Damn it. Helen needed to warn you before now. You need to be on guard. Do you understand?” His expression was grave.

“Yes.” Elizabeth gave him a wan smile.

“That’s good. Now, let’s go bite you and heal Kate, so you can go back to the Sanctuary.”

Elizabeth put a hand on his arm. “What’s so special about the Sanctuary? Why does Helen keep insisting I go back there?”

“There is an EM shield and Druitt can’t teleport into there.”

“He teleports?” It was dawning on her how the man could be in so many places, with so little effort, and how lucky she was he left her alone so far.

Nikola nodded, “yes.”

Was Druitt content to watch or was he waiting for the proper moment to strike? “Fuck.”

“My sentiments exactly, Kitten.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: vampire bites, blood, ass-kicking.

Elizabeth and Nikola walked to the bed, Nikola’s hand rested at the small of her back in a gesture they both knew was too familiar. Magnus would kill him. When her knees hit the edge of the bed, Beth turned around and scooted back across until she was sitting shoulder to shoulder with Kate. Nikola knelt on the edge waiting for the young women to get settled.

“Kate, if you put your back against the headboard and I sit back between your legs, there should be enough skin contact for this to work.

“What’s Tesla going to be doing?” Kate eyed the vampire doubtfully.

Elizabeth turned her head and grinned at Kate, full of mischief. “Nikola is going to bite me. It’s the fastest way to get an orgasm, and we need to do this fast.”

“You do realize that Magnus is going to fucking kill Tesla, don’t you?”

“We’ll be long gone before she even knows he bit me.”

Kate sighed, shaking her head. She moved into the position Elizabeth wanted and waited for Beth to pull her t-shirt off, and then sit in the v of Kate’s thighs and lean back onto her. Nikola sat back on his heels in front of Elizabeth, stretching his neck and getting ready to shift into vampire mode. Elizabeth bit her lip.

“Nervous, Kitten?”

“A bit. I can’t heal myself if you hurt me.”

Nikola tried to reassure her, “I can make it feel better… all part of the service.”

Beth glanced at Kate over her shoulder, “I’m sorry, Katey, but this is gonna hurt.”

“More than letting fang face bites you?”

“Yeah. A lot more, I come when he bites me, and I like it. You get nothing but ouch. Whatever you do, keep hold of my hand, okay? The skin contact is really important for the healing to work.”

“Skin contact… how about this?” Kate put her hands on Elizabeth’s bare belly.

“Fuck, your hands are cold,” Beth shuddered. “Poke Nikola in the eye if looks like he‘s going to drink all my blood. He‘s a bit greedy.” She took a deep breath and tried to relax. “I think we’re ready, Nikola. Bite me”

\----------

As soon as the bedroom door closed behind Nikola, Magnus moved to the computer Nikola had taken from her Sanctuary and started typing. Or at least she started typing after she took the knife from her back pocket and removed the damn zip tie from her wrists. It felt good to get it off, the thing had left chafe marks on her wrists. She was going to make Nikola pay for keeping her bound. The man was insufferable. Several unpleasant ideas crossed her mind, but she put her revenge aside for the time being and got to work.

Magnus started by accessing the database for the London Sanctuary, she pulled up anything listed for Elizabeth. As she found the first time she did this particular search, there was nothing related to her abnormalities: no scans, no blood work, and no tests of any sort? There was nothing in the file at all beyond an approximate birth date and a basic description, height and weight and a few minor allergies and normal childhood injuries.

Thinking back to the medical file from the bondage club, Magnus thought about her lost virginity and switched to searching Declan’s file. She looked for a report from a mission during the year when Elizabeth would have been nineteen. There was no critical or life threatening injuries listed in that time frame. In fact, there was a several month long period in the winter with no mission reports at all for Declan. That was strange.

Not deterred by the lack of results, Magnus dug deeper into the records. She wanted to see that deleted mission report, or reports. It took her ten minutes of digging through layers within layers to finally find a buried echo of the report in James‘ personal archives. The report was graver than James led her to believe at the time. In fact, she was certain Declan should have died that day, and yet he was still around. His next physical put him in perfect health.

The pieces started to fall into place. Elizabeth healed Declan, and James had purged her file and Declan’s to cover it up. Helen imagined there had been some interesting interactions between the two men if Elizabeth’s healing work in the way Magnus suspected it did.

The real question wasn’t how Declan survived the venomous bite; it was how Declan had survived James’ wrath after he was recovered from sleeping with nineteen year old Elizabeth right under James‘ Victorian nose. There was no shotgun wedding or castration which even Helen herself, who was far more liberal, would have considered acceptable under those circumstances, only an extended ‘vacation‘ for Declan.

Magnus took off her shoes and walked very quietly to the bedroom door. She turned the handle very slowly, and applied just a tiny amount of pressure to the door. A sliver of space opened between the door and the jam. It was enough for her to see the bed and its three occupants. She scowled at the tableau that played out before her eyes, Magnus had never been so unhappy to have one of her theories be proved correct. Then, she realized what she was truly seeing, not sex, but something far more unacceptable.

\-----------

The vampire’s eyes went dark and the claws and fangs sprouted menacingly, “My pleasure.” He inhaled the scent of the skin along her shoulder and struck at the artery in her neck. Elizabeth gasped sharply at the pain, biting her lip hard in an effort not to cry out and attract Helen’s attention. Then, the first of the orgasms started.

It took her a few heartbeats to be able to find the healing power under the haze of coming so hard, but once she had it she sent the waves along the hands that touched her bare middle. Kate cried out and tried to pull away, but Beth held onto her arms with all her might.

Nikola wasn’t enjoying the burn of Elizabeth’s power; He pulled away from her as quickly as he could manage.

Behind her Kate was sobbing with the waves of pain. Beth let her arms go and shouldered Nikola back, so she could turn around. She pulled Kate into her arms and held her. “It’s over, Katey. I know it hurt. I’m so sorry, but it’s over now. Look…”

Beth grabbed a compact off the nightstand and opened it. Then, she tugged the bandage off Kate’s bite and handed her the mirror. Where all the bruising and red teeth indentions had been only moments before, now there was only smooth, perfect skin.

“That’s… damn.”

“I should have given you something for the pain first; Declan usually takes two fingers of scotch and a percoset before I fix something on him.”

“It doesn’t hurt, anymore.” Kate eyed Elizabeth critically. “You’re a bleeding mess, though. You need to cover that before Magnus comes in here and see it.”

“Too late,” Nikola said.

The young women turned to see Magnus, hands free, come into the room. Despite her attempt to cover it with a hand, Helen saw the bite and growled. It wasn’t a sound Beth wanted to hear ever again.

Too fast for normal eyes, Magnus got a handful Tesla’s shirt and tie and haul him off the bed. She swung him around easily, and it took a few seconds for it to register with the young women that Tesla’s feet weren’t touching the floor. Magnus was holding him in the air, with one hand.

Elizabeth’s eyes were huge, her mouth hung open in disbelief.

Kate was a little better. “Shit, Doc. When did you get that strong?”

Magnus wasn’t paying any attention to them; her entire focus was on Nikola. He was having trouble breathing, and his face was a mixture of surprise and a hundred other things: awe, lust, fear, amusement. For being a genius, the vampire had little to no sense of self-preservation and Helen was going to kill him.

Magnus shook him. “Elizabeth… is… mine… Nikola. Mine,” she ground out through clenched teeth. Her face was flushed, and her eyes were wild. “I’ve warned you before not to bite her. What do I have to do to get that message through your thick skull?”

“Helen, wait… Stop,” Elizabeth pleaded.

Helen’s voice was flat, eerily devoid of its normal warmth, “No. Not this time. Nikola needs to understand.” Magnus set Nikola down, and he took a breath, but Magnus wasn’t finished with him. She gave him an upper cut to the jaw; His head snapped hard to the side, and blood leaked from the corner of his mouth. She repositioned her stance and hit him with the left hand the second time. His head snapped the other direction, but even as a cut formed on his cheekbone, he didn’t raise a hand to fight back.

Elizabeth and Kate rushed her and each managed to get one of her arms before Magnus could beat Tesla to a bloody pulp.

At Elizabeth’s touch, Helen shook herself and took a deep breath. She looked into the terrified eyes of her young lover and what she saw in them, Elizabeth was sure, was panic and fear.

It was as effective as a bucket of ice water at snapping Helen out of her rage. “Dear God.”

“Feel better?” Nikola asked, rubbing his abused jaw.

“What did you do?” Helen addressed the question to Elizabeth.

Beth frowned. “Nothing. Kate and I grabbed your arms to keep you from hitting Nikola, again. I didn’t try to do anything to you. Just hang on and try not to get hit myself.”

“Your touch pulled me out of the rage. It was like I was myself, again. I’m beyond angry with Nikola for biting you, but I don’t feel the overwhelming urge to bloody his face, now.”

Nikola smirked, “You’re quite sexy when you’re beating me to a pulp.”

Elizabeth scowled at him. “Would you stop goading her? Are you really that masochistic? She‘s stronger and faster than she should be.”

“I can’t seem to help myself, Kitten.”

Beth felt weak, the adrenaline was fading now that the crisis was over and the room shifted precariously, felt nauseated and her head hurt. She closed her eyes, and had trouble reopening them. “I don’t feel so good. I think…”

Elizabeth fainted.

Nikola and Helen each managed to get a supporting hand on her before she collapsed to the floor. She came around almost immediately, “Whoa. Need to lie down.”

They hauled her onto the bed and Helen lifted her head gently, so Kate could put a pillow under it. Beth could hear them all around her, but it was muffled and distant, like she was floating underwater. Then, the blackness took her under, again.

\---------

Magnus watched her lover pass out with a concerned frown. “Nikola! Just how much blood did you take?”

“A few sips. I was being careful.”

Helen rolled her eyes. “Not just now, I mean earlier when she was sleeping.”

Nikola had the grace to look sheepish. “A pint and two vials.”

Kate scowled at him, “Give it back, you greedy leech! Elizabeth is not your personal canteen.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.” Helen held a hand out. “Give it to me, Nikola.”

“I was going to…”

“Look at her. Elizabeth needs it more than you do,” Magnus said.

With a sigh, Nikola disappeared into the main room. He returned with the stolen blood, and it was cold from the tiny refrigerator under the bar. “That girl’s blood needs to be studied.”

“Oh come now, Nikola. That blood wasn’t for study and we both know it.” Magnus ran a hand over Elizabeth’s forehead. Her skin was cool to the touch, but then that was usually the case for her lover. The younger woman ran at least a degree or two colder than a human, and Helen ran toward the higher end of the scale. She liked to think it was just another way opposites attracted.

“What if we put back half of it? Then, with the other half, I could…”

Magnus glared at him, shaking her head in disgust, “I shouldn’t have stopped punching you. And, I wish I’d kicked you a few times, too.”

Kate put herself between Magnus and Tesla, just in case Magnus decided to go after him, again. “Should we get her some steak or something? Orange juice?”

“Yes, to both suggestions. Thank you, Kate. How is your neck feeling?”

Kate smiled, showing off the spot with pride. “Good as new. I’ll go get us some things from the gift shop in the lobby, and if you tell me what you want, I’ll get us some dinner, too. It looks like it’s going to be a long night.”

“Perfect. Take Nikola with you. If you leave us alone together, I’ll be tempted to bloody him some more.”

Kate tugged on Tesla‘s sleeve. “Come on, Count Fangasm. Some of us need to eat food. The least you could do is carrying some bags.”

“We are forgetting that Helen needs to remain here and not go back to the Sanctuary…”

“Bloody hell, Nikola. I agree with your reasons for doing this here and not at home. I’m not leaving. Just get out.”

“Fine.”

Magnus took the bag of blood and started Elizabeth’s IV. If Elizabeth did have a needle phobia, as Nikola suggested, Helen wasn’t going to traumatize her if she could avoid it. It would likely be over before she came around, Elizabeth was that exhausted. While the IV did its work, she took a minute to look at the slides of blood Nikola prepared. Both had strange things in them that would need to be analyzed at home. She could send Nikola with the slides and have him run the tests for her and bring back the results.

If there was one thing that impressed Helen about Elizabeth’s plan, it was that she kept them close to home, yet far enough for everyone to be safe from her if she lost control. Still, she proved a match for Nikola earlier, and it might be wise to have her old friend come with them as backup.

Elizabeth was just starting to stir when Helen returned to the bedroom with the orange juice and a plate of food for herself. She would have to handle juice for a bit before she got the protein her body desperately needed. Helen smiled at Elizabeth and sat down on the bed, not as close as she normally would because Elizabeth was looking at her fearfully. That fear hurt Helen’s heart and made her furious at herself. “How are you feeling, ‘Lizabeth?”

“Better. How long was I out? What happened to me?”

“Nikola took a pint of blood from you while you were sleeping earlier and we didn‘t know about it. Combined with a vampire bite and the drain on your body from the healing, it overtaxed your system. I’ve put your blood back into your body where it belongs, and added some fluids. I’d like you to try a little juice and see if we can’t get your blood sugar levels up. That will go a long way toward getting you on your feet again. Then, we have steak.”

Elizabeth studied her face. “How are you?”

“I‘m fine for now. We are going to do an experiment later, so I need to you leave. I don’t think I could live with myself if I hurt you.”

Elizabeth shrugged, “You aren’t yourself, Helen. That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you.” Tears filled her eyes, and spilled down her cheeks.

“’Lizabeth…” Magnus wanted to hold her, but Elizabeth’s body language said she wasn‘t receptive to being touched, yet.

“Can you explain what happened to me? Being bitten by a vampire is a very dangerous situation. Why did you let him…?”  
“I asked Nikola to bite me. I begged him to. I couldn’t get into the right mindset to heal Kate, so I got an orgasm the only way I knew of. His bite is orgasmic.”

“You heal with your orgasms, don’t you?” Helen asked her. “You saved Declan’s life and gave up your virginity to him, even though you preferred sex with women.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You never needed me to use it, so it never came up.”

Helen was puzzled, “I work with Abnormals every day. Did you think I wouldn’t understand? I‘ve seen so many Abnormal abilities, and this is unheard of, but I would never make you feel ashamed of your abilities.”

“It’s the most ridiculous, useless ability of any abnormal anywhere. I hate it. I hate wanting to use it, to help someone or save someone’s life, but stopping myself because people will think I’m a whore.”

“Elizabeth… no one who has seen you heal someone would ever think that you’re a whore. No one. It is unusual… I‘ve never heard of a sexually based abnormality.”

“I’m sorry,” Beth said, angrily. “If I could tap into the ability any other way I would, but I can’t. This is how I’ve learned to make it work.”

“Stop that. James may have inadvertently handled your situation in a way that made you feel it was something shameful, but it is not. Healing is an amazing gift to have. The connection to your sexuality may have been because you discovered the abilities by accident. There are a number of chemicals released in the brain during an orgasm, perhaps the heal gift needs those higher levels to function.” Helen patted her leg. “It’s something a few scans and lab tests could tell us. I‘m angry that James didn‘t feel the need to help you understand this, and instead just buried it. ”

“I don’t want to know.”

“Nothing that has happened today changes the fact that I love you, ‘Lizabeth.”

“I love you, too, Helen. So much.” Fresh tears spilled down the soft skin of her cheek.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. I want to… need to apologize to you for the way I acted.”

“I’m sorry, too.”

Helen didn‘t understand. “For what? You have nothing to be sorry for. You were incredibly brave and strong, brilliant in the face of a real crisis. I couldn‘t have asked for better handling of this situation, even from my team and they are the professionals at crisis management.”

Elizabeth growled, “No! Don’t thank me, damn it. I made you fall in love with me. You and Declan, both, have every right to be angry with me. The pheromones made you fall for me. It’s not real.”

“Oh heavens! “ Helen barked a laugh, shocked. “Oh, sweetheart, is that what you think? It doesn’t work that way, Elizabeth.” Helen kissed the back of her hand tenderly. “Your pheromones are whispers, like scent suggestions. They can’t make someone love you, and they certainly can’t override free will. We love you because you are an amazing young woman, beautiful and kind and intelligent. You would still be all those things without any pheromones at all.

“I have noticed I feel more jealousy with you than I do with other lovers. It’s the bossy, overbearing pheromones that seem to affect me the most strongly. I want to protect you, take care of you, to the point of you feeling smothered. It’s hardly conducive to a healthy relationship, and I do try to make an effort to tone it down.”

“You have a good reason to be protective of me, though, don’t you? John Druitt.”

Helen was too shocked to speak. “Where did you hear about John?”

“Kate told me about him, but Helen you should have told me. You needed to warn me! He’s been turning up, following me for years. I had no idea I was even in danger!”

Magnus stared at her in mute horror. “John’s been following you? Where? When?”

“I saw him for the first time at the service for James, then in Paris a few times, London at Christmas, and O’Hare Airport when I ran into Kate and decided to come here. Since I’ve been here, I’ve seen him at the mall, and once in Seattle with Declan. Shit, I’ve lost count…”

Helen covered her face in her hands, suddenly terrified. “Oh my God. Oh my God.”

“Is he planning to kill me?”

“I don’t know.” Magnus’ was breathing heavy now.

“We won’t let him kill you, Kitten. Maybe he’s just playing a game with you, and trying to scare you. Or, more likely he is trying to upset Helen,” Nikola said, he and Kate coming back into the bedroom to join them.

Elizabeth whispered, “I want to go home.”

“I think that’s for the best,” Magnus nodded. “Just as soon as you are a bit stronger, sweetheart. “

“Doc…”

“Kate will make sure you get safely to the Sanctuary and then she will come back with some help. I’m certain I can help Nikola come up with a way to remove the taint from the blood.” She looked at Nikola. “That is if you still want my help.”

Nikola rubbed his jaw. “And you still want mine.”

Magnus kissed Elizabeth lightly on the forehead. “We solve problems like this more often then you know. You did well. Rest now, and see if you can‘t drink that juice.”

\----------

Their goodbye turned into an argument, Elizabeth thought taking a sleeping pill to see what happened was a terrible idea. Especially since Biggie was off making a supply pick-up and couldn’t be there to back Nikola and Kate up.

Magnus insisted she knew the risks and they were acceptable.

In the end, Elizabeth picked up her bag and walked out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Biting, blood, groping, discussion of suicide

They drove to the Sanctuary in silence. Both Kate and Elizabeth still trying to come to grips with everything they‘d seen and done. At the South gate, Kate stopped the car to enter her code, and she glanced at Elizabeth. “I don’t think she meant go back to London, Beth.”

“I don’t care what she meant, Katey. I want to go home.” Elizabeth looked at Kate, “I’ve been here long enough. I was planning to leave in a week or two, anyway. I want to get that job in New York City. I got an email last week telling me there is a room ready and waiting for me at the NY Sanctuary. I think I'm going to spend a few days with Declan and get some things from home for my new place.”

Kate parked the car in its designated spot. “I don’t want you to go.”

Elizabeth smiled, “You better come visit me when you pass through the big city, or I’m going to be pissed off at you.”

“Of course, I will.”

They hugged, and Kate gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

Elizabeth’s packing was interrupted more than once by some little memento or gift that sent Elizabeth into a flurry of hot tears. How could she have become so attached to this place, and being so close to Helen, in only nine weeks? Was she really that pathetic and needy? Stupid. So stupid.

Beth took everything. Emptied all the drawers and the closet and wrapped the breakables for the flight, putting them carefully in her carry-on.

She said goodbye to Henry and Will and Kate. Hell, she even said goodbye to Steve and the Mermaid. Her last task was a trip to the kitchen to retrieve her knives, and to her surprise Biggie was there unloading groceries into the walk-in. He looked at her and grunted an acknowledgment. That grunt was like a speech from most people.

Elizabeth and the Big Guy developed a quiet, respectful working relationship cooking in the Sanctuary kitchen together. She’d shown him how to make the perfect omelet, and a blue cheese souffle, and he had given her carte blanch with the grocery lists, so she could try out new ideas for dishes. Most were fairly successful, and he was kind and supportive when one of her ideas failed miserably. Rather than scold, the Sanctuary's resident cook would chase her out of the kitchen and dispose of the disaster in his efficient, methodical way. It was never mentioned, by mutual agreement, ever again.

“I’m going back to London, Big Guy.”

“I heard.”

“It’s time. My room is ready at the New York Sanctuary, and I want to see Declan for a few days before I go off on another adventure.”

He pinned her with a look. “So, this has nothing to do with running away from Magnus?”

Elizabeth sighed, “No.”

She knew it was a lie and so did Biggie. “Wait until she gets back from her mission with Tesla.”

“I… can’t.” And just like that, the lid she’d been keeping on the tears slipped off and she sat down hard on the cold tile floor and cried and cried.

The Big Guy sat his huge bulk down beside her, offered her tissues from a box as she needed them and patted her hand. “She isn’t going to let you just run.”

“I’m not giving her a choice, am I?”

Biggie grunted. It made his opinion of the whole situation crystal clear, and she considered staying. When Beth was cried out, he said, “I’ll put your bags in the car.”

“You don’t have to do that, I could take a taxi…”

“Not a chance.”

Beth had heard that tone enough to know it wouldn't do any good to argue, so she just accepted the ride.

\----------

Tesla smirked at Helen, and she looked up from the microscope and caught him at it. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It's been a hundred plus years since I've seen you mooning over someone, it's still adorable.”

Magnus narrowed her eyes at him, “I'm not mooning.” She slipped the slide from the little platform and replaced it with another. “I never moon.” She wasn't mooning, but she was thinking about the argument that morning and how Elizabeth walked out. Helen wanted to vow to make it up to her, but it got her thinking of the last time she'd made that vow and never been able to fulfill it. To Ashley. How could she not make another empty promise?

“You may not think you were mooning... but you were.”

She motioned to his slides. “Stop watching me and get back to work.”

“I bet if the girl cried, you'd go all gooey and sweet and give her anything she wanted.”

“Nikola...”

“She's a lusty little thing, too. I can't imagine how you get anything done with Elizabeth around.”

Magnus checked her watch and silently willed Kate to hurry back. “I refuse to discuss my girlfriend with you, Nikola, so shut up and get back to work.”

By early evening, Kate had returned with backup and Helen stared at the pill in her hand with disdain. She’d rather swallow a cockroach or a mind altering red-list abnormal. The idea of letting Afina have more control over her was frankly terrifying. What if she couldn’t get the upper hand back? What if her team couldn’t control her, or she hurt or killed someone?

“Bloody hell,” Magnus said under her breath as she picked up the water bottle from the nightstand and put the pill on her tongue. She swallowed it with a mouthful of water and then finished the remainder of the bottle for good measure.

Helen fell asleep quickly, and it was a mercy.

Once she was out, Nikola and Kate put the heavy duty restraints on her wrists and ankles and secured them to the bed's frame. They moved the comfortable chair from the sitting room and took turns sitting with the sleeping Magnus. After about two hours, Magnus started to mumble and toss in her sleep.

An hour later, it was Nikola's turn at the bedside vigil and he sat watching Helen thrash on the bed in the pitch black bedroom. He let his head fall back and just as his eyes drifted closed he heard a voice.

“Neeekola...”

His head snapped up and Helen was sitting up on the bed, staring at him. He stood up and walked to the edge of the bed, and her eyes tracked him, even though it was too dark for a human to see him. “My my granny, what good eyes you have.”

“Neeekola.” Helen's voice was an octave lower than her normal speech and the accent was unmistakably Afina's.

“Afina.”

“Yes, mongrel.” Helen tried to get up, tested the wrist restraints. Not able to break free, she growled, “I'm hungry.”

Nikola sat on the end of the bed, far enough away that she couldn't launch herself at his throat. “What would you like? I have a excellent Bordeaux in the other room...”

“Feed me, Nikola.” There was a note of pleading in her tone, something he would never hear from Helen. In her body, with her face, it was difficult for the vampire not to desire her... She was Helen Magnus, after all. Being possessed by the Queen of the Damned didn't change that.

What would it hurt to give her a small taste his blood?

Nikola stood up, wary but resigned to see what would happen if she tasted him. He kissed Helen's mouth lightly. She kissed him back when he returned to kiss her again, their tongues brushing, teasing in his mouth. All he tasted was Helen and she was as delicious as he remembered.

Very gently, Nikola helped her lie back on the bed and he followed her down. His weight held her to the mattress while they kissed and he touched her. The firm breasts were a perfect fit for his hands, and she felt small under him. Helen would no doubt have something scathing to say about his groping her, if she remembered, but Nikola was too drunk on her kisses and the scent of her to let his conscience slow him down.

Afina broke the kiss, her hands tousling his hair. “Feed me, Nikola. I need it.”

Nikola sighed against her cheek. He put her wrists above her head, knowing they wouldn't stay there long. His fingers went to his neck and he sharpened a single claw and made a small, efficient cut for her. Before the blood could even drip, Afina's mouth was locked on the artery and she was suckling greedily. The chains and cuffs kept her from being able to wrap her arms completely around his ribs and keep him down on top of her. After a short time, he pulled back, “Enough.”

Afina sighed, “So sweet.”

The tip of her tongue traced the cut, but Nikola felt it rapidly healing and denying her even a last drop.

“Who is she?”

Nikola pretended not to know, “Who is who?”

“The girl. Bring me the girl, Nikola. I want to... meet... her.”

Huge clanging warning bells went off in the back of Nikola's head and suddenly he had the urge to call William and Heinrich and have them put the Kitten on the first available flight to London.

“Why?” Keeping her talking was a good idea. It was better than anything else he could think of at the moment. Certainly better than feeding Magnus' lover to the vampire bitch from hell. And just like that, Nikola had an idea. If Afina wanted Elizabeth's blood, maybe he could use it for plan A. “I'm afraid Helen's tasty lover is on her way back to her home, and she lives a long way from here.”

“Get her back!” Afina demanded. “Bring her to me, now, mongrel.”

“I'm afraid that isn't possible,” Nikola kept his voice low and calm. “But, I have some of her blood left. It's fresh, but chilled. I was saving it for myself. I will share it with you... if you give me what I want.” His plan just might work. Everyone would hate this plan, but if it worked...

Helen's eyes narrowed at him. “What do you want?”

“I want to drink your blood, of course.”

Afina's cold, arrogant smile looked odd on Helen's face, “Yes.”

The fact that she was so eager for him to bite her gave Nikola pause. “Helen never lets me bite her. I don't think she enjoyed it.”

The vampire queen laughed and it was an ugly sound. “I've see her dreams, Neekola. She loved it. She dreams of it and fears the power it gives you over her.” She smirked, “that is why she denies you.”

Nikola dismissed her comment with a wave of his hand. “I'll go get the blood. It'll only take a minute.”

\----------

Far from being surprised, it was almost a relief when the tall, bald man named Druitt took a stool at the bar beside Elizabeth in the airport lounge. She scanned for him when she stepped out of the elevator into the lobby of her hotel, and rode to the Sanctuary with Kate, and accepted a ride from Biggie to the airport.

After so many appearances, it was almost more worrisome not to catch a glimpse of him somewhere. If he wasn’t stalking her, was he off killing someone or watching Helen?

They sat side by side in silence for several minutes before Beth worked up the courage to talk to him. She chose the words carefully. “When I didn’t see you at the hotel, I was worried.”

“Is that right? Why?” His tone was conversational, almost friendly.

“I always figured you were someone Helen or Declan hired to shadow me.”

Druitt turned his head for the first time; His eyes were very blue. “Did you?”

“Yeah. I guess that was pretty naive of me, but you have to admit it sounds like something one or both of them would do. They make being overprotective an art form.”

The man rumbled low in his chest and it took a few seconds for Beth to realize he was chuckling under his breath.

“I’m glad their tactics amuse someone,” Elizabeth said, sourly. “I find it obnoxious and more than a bit humiliating. James always trusted me and gave me space. He didn‘t… hover.”

“Perhaps, his security measures were just more… devious.”

Elizabeth thought about it. It was certainly possible. “I saw you at James’ service.”

“Yes. I saw you as well. You hit Helen rather hard and stomped off in a huff.” He was chuckling, again.

Beth covered her face with a hand to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks. “It wasn’t a laughing matter, I behaved so badly. I can‘t believe Helen forgave me for that.”

When the bartender appeared, Druitt ordered a scotch for himself. He also ordered another Cosmopolitan for Elizabeth without asking if she even wanted one. “Violence and foreplay are interchangeable for Helen.” He downed the scotch in one go.

Beth toyed with the fresh drink, then took a sip. If she was going to die, maybe drunk would be better. “Are you going to…” Elizabeth looked around the crowded bar and lowered her voice. “Do you see me as some kind of a threat to your relationship with Helen?”

The corner of his mouth lifted in amusement, “You are about as threatening as kitten. A very small kitten.”

“Oh, not you, too.” Elizabeth scowled at him and his lips quirked, again.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Tesla calls me ‘kitten’. It makes me want to hurt him.”

“Tesla says things that make many people want to hurt him. It’s an unfortunate genetic defect.”

Beth smiled. Who knew Jack the Ripper had a sense of humor? “You shouldn’t spend too much time around me,” Elizabeth warned him. “I give off chemicals that make people want to protect me, and if you have other ideas, it might mess them up.”

“Is that so?”

Elizabeth took a sip of her drink and looked at her watch. “Yeah, if you’re wondering what the hell someone like Helen sees in me, I’m pretty sure she’s just under the influence of my runaway pheromones.”

“It’s one possibility, to be sure. Or she could be hopelessly in love with you because you are unaccustomed to violence and ugliness. Or you are so much like James you could be a child of his loins, and not simply a foundling he adopted from a slum.”

Beth barked a laugh at the last one. “I hate that theory. I’m nothing like James. James would never get into a situation like the one I’m in. He was so much smarter than that.”

“Trapped between two very dominant personalities and unable to stop loving either of them? Or to choose one over the other?” He watched her in the mirrored bar, “That tale doesn’t sound familiar?”

“No. Should it?”

“Yes, but it had little to do with James’ cognitive prowess and everything to do with his generous, giving heart. Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

“You don’t have to kill me out of insane jealousy. I’m pretty sure Helen and I just broke up.”

“Just like that?” He studied her face, and one of his hands toyed idly with a bar napkin. “And you’re not weeping and wringing your hands like the world is ending?”

“You missed that show hours ago.“ Elizabeth shrugged, “I’m probably in shock. I feel numb. I've had too much excitement in the last few days. Thanks for that third drink, by the way.” She sighed and, more to herself than to him, mumbled, “If I knew where to slice, I’d probably find a quiet place and slit my wrists. As it is, I’d cut in the wrong place and just end up causing myself a lot of pain for nothing.”

Druitt took her arm in his huge hands and made a scratch on her wrist with his thumbnail. Elizabeth didn’t pull back, just watched him trace one wrist, then the other, in mute fascination. “That is the place to cut if you wish to top yourself correctly.”

She stared into those intensely blue eyes and forgot how to breathe. He eventually let her arm go, and that broke the spell. Elizabeth swallowed hard, “Thanks for the... assistance.”

Druitt put a hundred dollar bill on the bar and stood up. His hand brushed her shoulder, and warm fingers lingered on the bandage covering the vampire bite. “Have a pleasant flight, Elizabeth.”

She watched him walk away, and with a shaking hand she picked up her drink and tossed it back.

“Fuck.”

The bartender scanned the bar patrons and in a low voice, he said, “You want me to get airport security on that guy? He was scary as shit.”

Beth laughed, “Who him? He's just my girlfriend's ex. Ex-girlfriend, now.” She felt like ordering another drink, but decided against it. Instead, she walked to a quiet area near her gate and called Declan to let him know she was coming home.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: blood, biting, a bit non-con, and serious gross out.

Nikola checked the results in the microscope for the third time, and smiled to himself. In all the trials, the outcome was identical. When he added even a small amount of the Abnormal blood to the sample of Helen's blood, it caused a chemical reaction separating the oily, tainted layer away from the normal components of her blood.

The violent reaction was why he thought Elizabeth's blood was carbonated the first time he tasted it. It was reacting to him, and it didn't like vampires. After he drank the small sample of Helen's tainted blood, he'd followed it with a few drops of the girl's blood. It fizzed and crackled in his mouth, but it removed the foul taste from his abused tongue better than any mouthwash, and that was the beginning of his plan.

Nikola was thanking his lucky stars Helen and her team hadn't discovered the second half filled blood bag Nikola put in the tiny freezer compartment. That was going to save Helen's stubborn, currently irrational but undeniably sexy, life. Contrary to popular opinion, he never intended to drink any of the blood he stole, it was much to fascinating to be used as a libation. He couldn't get the girl back to take more, not that he particularly wanted to. Things were going to get ugly and Elizabeth would get in the way of what needed to be done, meaning well but not wanting to see Helen suffer.

Nikola intended to suffer first. He was virtually immortal, so he would test his theory on himself, before giving it to Helen. He pulled the blood from it's hiding place and checked on Bigfoot and Kate. They were watching a movie on the hotel's flat-screen TV, he told them they would try his antidote in the morning, and they believed him. The volume was turned up loud on their action movie; They wouldn't know anything was amiss until after it was done.

There was a bucket included with their supplies and Nikola put the blood in it and carried both back into the bedroom and shut the door.

Afina-Helen was waiting impatiently for him on the bed. “What took you so long, Neekola?” She glared as he approached the bed, until he held up the blood so she could see it. That seemed to pacify her.

“I had to make sure the others were busy, and won't interfere. I don't think they will be happy with me for biting you...”

The look she gave him was pure Afina, haughty and self-serving, “I don't care about them. They are nothing.”

Nikola nodded, shrugging out of his expensive vest and untying his tie. “They can interfere. We can't let them stop us.” He took the expensive dress shirt off next, and he watched Afina's pupils dilate as she watched him and felt uneasy. Her desire for him was good, a necessary part of his plan, but it still made him feel a little ill. She was using Helen's body, and Helen deserved to be treated with more respect. The fact that his bite was orgasmic and Helen wasn't in control of her body barely skirted the line of being rape to Nikola.

“You don't get the blood until after I get my fill.” Nikola repeated his conditions to the vampire.

Afina smiled out of Helen's face and Nikola hated it. “Come to me, Neekola, and drink your fill...” She held her arms out to him, as much as the wrist shackles would let her. He stepped out of his trousers and shoes and joined her on the bed, letting her embrace him. Her stolen body was warm and soft. The scent of her skin was pure Helen, and maddened his senses. His traitorous body stirred with arousal as Afina kissed him.

Pushing her down and kissing her back hungrily, Nikola's hands roamed her body, firm breasts and hips and anywhere he could reach, almost of their own volition. The misgivings lost in the taste of her and the heat of their combined passion. He knew she was ready for him when her pelvis rocked against his upper thigh, her focus turned to finding satisfaction. One of his hands snaked out and grabbed the blood bag and brought it against the pillow where it would be within easy reach at the proper moment. His fingertips gently brushed the dark strands of hair away from her shoulder to bare her neck to him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he changed and bit her. His hands pinned her shoulders as she fought him, but he held her down, just barely strong enough.

The first mouthful of blood was vile and thick, it took tremendous effort to swallow it and not spit it out. After the initial shock, Nikola drank and drank; Forcing himself to swallow each mouthful and feeling it burn its way into his stomach. Afina-Helen clung to him, panting and moaning, riding the waves of orgasmic pleasure Nikola's bite brought with it. Her sex was wet against his thigh and Nikola wished for the hundredth time it was the real Helen responding to him and not the bitch queen of the damned in a Helen suit. Oh, the things he longed to do to her... instead he just sucked the life blood from her.

In a human, he could simply lie there and drink all the blood up while the victim climaxed their way to a quick death in his arms. With another vampire, or a human who thought they were a vampire, the instinct for self-preservation was too strong. Eventually, Afina-Helen pulled back from him.

Nikola sat up and instantly regretted it as all the blood fought it's way back up. In a panic, he reached for the blood near the pillow, and his fangs punctured the blood bag with a sigh of relief. Afina howled at him and tugged her restraints, enraged. After two good mouthfuls, Nikola lowered the bag. He could feel the two liquids battling each other, and the nausea got worse, if that were even possible.

“Mine, Neekola. You said it was to be mine. Give it to me.” She snarled like an animal. “Give it to me!”

Nikola handed her the bag and reached for the bucket. For the next dozen or so minutes his stomach roiled and cramped and he tossed up not blood, but oily black filth. While he was busy, expelling the Afina-ness from his system. Afina was sucking the tiny puncture holes in the blood bag. Her reaction wasn't any different from his. The minute he no longer needed the bucket, it was her turn to clutch at her perfect, flat belly in pain and horror.

“What have you done, mongrel?” Afina-Helen demanded. “What have you done to me?”

Nikola, feeling more himself after the purge, smiled at her. “I gave you what you wanted; The blood from Helen's Abnormal lover. Unfortunately, it doesn't agree with you. Or me.”

Afina-Helen's eyes widened, “Help me.”

Nikola went to the bathroom and emptied the bucket, and washed it quickly, returning just in time for Afina to spew a river of black ooze into it. He shook his head, “Helen isn't going to speak to me for a month or more. I'm going to have to find someone else with a decent wine cellar... I wonder if Macrae has restocked since my last visit?”

Even down a couple of pints from her normal blood volume, it took Helen three times as long to purge her system of the toxins. When he was sure she was too weak and sick to strangle him, he unfastened the cuffs from her wrists. Nikola held her head and wiped her brow with a damp cloth in between vomit episodes. Near the end of the process, Helen lifted her head and her bloodshot eyes focused on his face.

“Nikola?” Helen whispered, in her British accented voice. The vampire had never been so happy to hear his name from her lips. He kissed her clammy forehead tenderly, and said, “I'm sorry,”.

The movie ended and Kate unlocked the door and walked in. She gasped at the tableau before her. Nikola stripped down to his silk boxers and looking worse for wear, Magnus in a fetal position on the bed, hugging the bucket and being petted by Nikola. Kate scowled at him. “What did you do?!”

Her outraged shout brought the Sasquatch into the room behind her.

Nikola gave them his genius smile, “I cured her.”

“Why is she puking her guts out in a bucket? Why are you in your underwear?”

Nikola smirked, “It's a long story. I could use some wine, and Helen needs a transfusion as soon as possible.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

It took Helen twenty-four hours in the infirmary under the not so tender care of an angry team to get back to feeling like her old self. She felt better, her head was clear, no more interference from the remnants of Afina, but she needed IV fluids and some blood-work to prove she was not a security threat.

When Kate told them the story, there was a moment she was sure she was going to find herself back in restraints, but the withering glare she aimed at Will seemed to change his mind. To say the team wasn't happy about being worked around by one tiny, blonde Watson girl was an understatement.

Nikola was lurking around, and Magnus was sure Nikola would eventually find his way in to talk to her, but she was getting inpatient and a bit stir crazy in the infirmary. “Kate? Could you find Nikola and send him to me?”

Kate's eyes went wide. “I... don't know where he is.”

“Could you check his usual haunts and send him in if you find him?”

“You aren't going to hurt him are you?”

Magnus blinked at her, surprised. “No, I wanted to thank him for his help.”

Kate eyed her dubiously, “Sure, Doc. I'll get him for you. Do you need anything else? Broth and crackers? Tea?”

“Both would be welcome, thank you, Kate.” Magnus smiled at Kate and watched as she flushed just a little.

“Back soon!”

Twenty minutes later, Nikola breezed in pushing a cart with a tea set and a bowl of steaming broth, “Did someone order room service?” He chided her in a echo of his usual good spirits. He looked terrible, like he hadn't slept or bathed for days, but that was normal with Nikola when he was engrossed in a project. Still, there was something else. She couldn't put her finger on it, but he was not himself.

“Ah, there you are. I had wondered where you got off to.”

“I've been helping Heinrich with an upgrade to the perimeter sensors.”

Helen nodded and patted a spot on the bed near her hip. “Come and sit.” Nikola sat in the spot she requested. “You had more of Elizabeth's blood, didn't you?”

“Yes.” He had the good sense to at least look sheepish.

“What made you think using her blood would cleanse the impurities?”

“It makes great mouthwash?”

They both laughed, and Helen patted his hand, “Thank you, Nikola. If your mouthwash idea hadn't worked... I don't know what would have become of me...”

“I did try it on myself first to make sure it wouldn't just eat your insides...”

Helen smiled, “I appreciate that.” She sighed, “I don't remember much of what happened. I didn't hurt you did I?”

“She didn't use you to hurt me.”

“Then, what's wrong. Why do you look so sad?”

“I bit you, Helen, and my bites are orgasmic. I dream of sharing a bed with you and biting you, but not while someone else was driving. I didn't want her. I wanted you. It felt wrong.”

Helen took Nikola's hand a kissed the back of it. “Who knows, Nikola... you're immortal, I plan to live a long time, anything is possible.”

“You have a pair of Kittens to play with.” It was the wrong thing to say, and Helen flinched like he'd struck her. He quickly corrected himself, “It was a good thing Elizabeth left when she did. Afina would have hurt her.”

Helen's eyes misted, and she nodded, “I know.”

“Silly girl is quite fierce when someone she loves is threatened, more a tiger cub than a kitten. I think she discovered she has claws.”

“Is that a warning?”

Nikola chuckled, “It wasn't, but perhaps it should be.”

“I scared her.”

“You scared more people than just her. I think it was Druitt that was the last straw for Elizabeth.”

“John will kill her. She doesn't deserve to die just for loving me.”

Nikola smirked, “I think he might just surprise you...”

“What do you mean?”

“I think we've found something stronger than the beast that inhabits John Druitt.”

“What do you mean?”

Nikola handed Helen her cell phone, on the main screen it showed two calls from Declan Macrae's number in London. There were also two emails and four text messages. Helen scanned the text messages and felt the little color she had drain from her face. “Dear God.”

“Problem?”

“I need to call Declan... and then, I need to get my jet prepped for a flight to London.”

“John won't kill her.”

“How can you say that?”

“If he were going to, he would already have done it by now. He's toying with you, and her.”

“Damn him.”

The corner of Nikola's mouth quirked, “It would serve the bastard right if she cast the pheromone spell over him, too.”

“That would never happen.”

Nikola raised his eyebrows at her, “Care to make a wager?”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Magnus removed her IV and padded upstairs to her rooms to pack. The silence was deafening.

“You thought she’d be here waiting for you,” Kate said, quietly.

Magnus shrugged, “I don't know what I was thinking, beyond keeping her safe from me and John.” Helen looked in the drawers, and the closet for anything that might have been left behind. “She took everything, like she isn't planning to come back.”

“You told her to go home.”

It really sank in then that Elizabeth was gone. Helen sighed,“This isn't her home.”

“Nah, Doc. London is where her family is. To her when you said go home, she wanted London.”

Magnus nodded, lost in her own thoughts. One thing was a certainty for Helen, Elizabeth wasn’t going to just walk away from their relationship without her putting up a fight. She wandered back to her bedroom and sat down hard on the edge of the bed. She didn’t notice that Kate followed her. Her hand ran over the cool fabric of the pillowcase on the pillow Elizabeth used. It bunched in her hand and she brought the pillow her face. The scent of orange blossoms lingered and Helen started to cry. What had she done?

Kate went to Magnus and held her. “We'll get her back, Doc. She's just scared and upset. Who wouldn't be when they find out Jack the Ripper has been stalking them? It doesn't mean she doesn't love you, just that she's looking for the people and places where she feels safe. Beth told me once that Declan makes her feel safe.”

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

“What the hell did you do to Elizabeth?”

Magnus was prepared for Declan’s anger. She expected it, actually. The flight had been long and Helen had plenty of time to sit back and plan what she would say and do to make it up to Elizabeth. Will was more than willing to give her a few days to recover from the effects of being taken over by a vampire queen. She was going to put those precious days to good use.

“She's been locked in her room since I picked her up at Heathrow. And, I can't get a word out of her... about anything.” Declan carded his fingers through his short hair in frustration. “What happened after we talked?”

Helen sat down beside him on the sofa and gave him the whole story as it was related to her by Kate and Elizabeth and Nikola. About halfway through, Declan stopped her and went to get a bottle of scotch out of the bottom drawer of his desk. Magnus raised an eyebrow at the bottle and Declan scowled, “This is reserved for really bad days. I'd say this qualifies.”

She finished the story, and waited for Declan to respond. It took him a while, but half the scotch was gone and his eyes had a glassy look to them. “Damn it.”

“That's all you can manage to say?”

Declan scrubbed his hand over his face, “No wonder she locked herself in her room and won't speak to me. She told me to give her twenty-four hours to figure out what to say, and now I bloody well know why.” He eyed Helen darkly, “You're sure drinking her blood cured you? Would you be offended if I asked you to let my doctor check you out?”

Helen smiled, ”I'll let your doctor prod me on the condition that Elizabeth get a full check-up as well. Her body was as abused in this crisis as mine.”

“Oh, she's already had a full work-up done, about ten minutes after she walk through the door.”

Magnus frowned at him, her mind racing. “She was sick?”

“Exhausted, anemic, and a suffering from a bitch of a hangover. I ordered a full psych evaluation to boot.”

“A psych eval? Why?”

“Elizabeth had marks on her wrists. I was worried she was contemplating killing herself.” He sighed, “She yelled at me that she wasn't crazy, she was tired of people treating her like an idiot, and locked herself in her room. She hasn't been out since.” He took a long pull from the scotch bottle. “I sent Chloe and Celeste in to take food and make sure she isn't plotting to kill herself. They said she is confused and angry, and a more than a bit frightened, but not suicidal. I decided to leave off and let her come to me when she is ready to talk.”

Helen felt the tears threatening, again. “Would you mind if I try?”

Declan shrugged, “If you think it will help, by all means, she's your girlfriend, too.” His head fell back against the back of the couch. “This is bloody mess.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Ah. You again,” Elizabeth said, quietly.

Beth was sitting on a bench in the large park across from the London Sanctuary. She had her arms wrapped around her shins and her cheek pillowed on her knees as she watched the sunset. It felt good out here, after being stuck in her room for days sorting a whole life's worth of belongings. She was going to tell Declan tonight she would move into James' rooms with him. James would approve of her decision.

“Have you decided to live?” Druitt asked, casually. He sat down beside her on the bench, uninvited. He was wearing the long, black leather coat from their first meeting.

“If I say yes, does that mean you’ll kill me? That would be... ironic.” She sighed, not thrilled to have to deal with tall, bald and creepy in her current mood.

Druitt snorted a laugh. “It would. But no, I haven't come to kill you today. I have a piece of advice.”

Elizabeth mustered the courage and turned her head to look into those terrifying eyes. “You want to help me?” The fact that he wanted to help was more creepy than the straightforward promise of death. “Does that mean I passed some sort of test?”

They stared into each others' eyes for a long moment, neither one moving. Eventually, Druitt answered her question, “No, I’ve simply figured out which of our scenarios is playing out and I am taking the appropriate steps.”

“Why help me?”

“I believe it is what James would say, were he here to offer his sage parental advice.”

“I‘m not a replacement for Ashley. Or James.”

“I never thought you were.” There was a steel edge to his tone. “Nothing can replace them.”

Elizabeth asked a question, dreading the answer, “What am I to Helen, then?”

“You are like a cast to a broken bone. Heaven help us all if you are the only thing holding the pieces of Helen together. She's had it rough these last few years, but for some unfathomable reason, you seem to make her stronger.”

“The advice?”

“When Helen gets here, you should resist the urge to forgive her and throw yourself into her arms.”

“You want me to play hard to get... With Helen Magnus? You do remember how relentless she is when she really wants something, don't you?”

“If you make it too easy on her, she will only become more overbearing.”

The smile he gave her made the hair on the back of her neck stand up.

“What makes you think Helen’s coming here? I doubt they will let her out of the infirmary for a week.”

Druitt looked at something over her shoulder and smirked. Beth followed his gaze and was shocked to see Helen exiting the front door of the Sanctuary. “Helen isn’t the type to let you walk away, or run away, without giving chase.”

“So, which scenario is this, really, if you've figured it out?”

Druitt's eyes narrowed, and his lip curled in a way that could be disgust or just annoyance, “Helen is hopelessly in love with you.”

“Are you going to kill me because she loves me?”

“Not now, no. Remember what I said, Elizabeth.” Druitt disappeared in a strange flash of light.

A minute later Helen was hurrying over, her weapon drawn. “It’s alright. He’s gone.”

“It's very much not alright,” Helen said. “John spoke to you. What did he say? ”

“Have you ever seen The Princess Bride?” When Helen nodded, Elizabeth continued, “Druitt said, 'Sleep well. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.'”

“That's not a bit funny!” But, Helen relaxed and put her gun away. “What did he really say?”

“He's trying to figure out what we are to each other. I told him I’m not a substitute for Ashley. That’s not what I do for you. ”

“Of course not.”

“And I’m not a piece of James.”

“No, not that either, but I do see bits of James that have rubbed off on you. Your quiet strength for one, and you seem to have adopted his use of his wry sense of humor at completely inappropriate moments.” Helen sighed, “I'm sorry I scared you. I can't imagine what this last week has been like for you, but I don‘t want to lose you, ‘Lizabeth. You said you were going home, but I went to your room and everything was gone… It was like you weren't ever planning to come back.”

“Your Sanctuary doesn't feel like home, Helen. This is my home. And I'm starting a new adventure in New York, soon. It was time to leave.”

“I had hoped you would begin to feel like both places could be home to you, and that you would want to spend time with me, holidays and vacations. You are always welcome, I hope you know that.”

“Nikola used more of my blood to cure you, didn't he?”

“He did, yes. It was gruesome, and involved more vomit than I ever want to experience again.” Helen looked at her. “You knew he took more blood? Why didn't you say something?”

“I thought he might try to use it to heal you, somehow, so I left it with him.” Elizabeth watched the last bit of sun sinking below the horizon. “Is Afina gone?”

“Yes.”

“You should be in the infirmary.”

“So should you.”

“I'm just tired.”

Helen nodded, “Me, too.”

“I don’t know what Declan told you, but I didn’t try to kill myself.”

Magnus gave her a dark look. “If either one of us thought you were having those types of thoughts, you’d be in a holding cell right now, for your own protection.”

“Oh.” Elizabeth frowned at her. “I don‘t know what to say to that.”

Helen turned the conversation back to Druitt, “Is this the first time John has spoken directly to you?”

Elizabeth decided to lay all her cards on the table. “No. He bought me a drink in the airport bar during my layover in Boston.”

“He made the marks on your wrists.” It wasn't a question.

“Yes. He was trying to be helpful.”

Helen did the last thing Elizabeth would have expected her lover to do. She put a hand to her mouth and started to sob, wracking, heartbreaking sobs. Elizabeth rested her forehead back on her knees and cried, too. It took everything she had not to go to Helen and hold her. She wanted to so much, but they had some serious issues to work through.

“I should have known he'd never let me love anyone else. I'm so sorry I've put you in this kind of danger. It was never my intention. ”

Through her own tears, Beth said, “I'm not going to let some psycho asshole make me live in fear, but I am going to be more careful now that I know he's out there.”

Helen sniffled. “That's good. He isn't in control of himself most of the time. There is a creature inside him, it's evil.”

“Evil entity on top of the fact he's a raging misogynist. Great.” Elizabeth snorted and looked over at Helen, “Druitt told me not to throw myself into your arms and forgive you straight off.”

“That utter bastard.” Helen's tone was full of dark anger. “He has no right to interfere.”

The scariest thing of the last few days was that Jack the Ripper may have just given her a good piece of relationship advice. How fucked up is that? “I need time to process all of the stuff from this week.”

“Time is something I can give you, Elizabeth. Just don't give up on me... on us.”

Elizabeth dropped her knees and turned her body to face Helen, “I've decided to move into James' suite with Declan. It doesn't seem fair to take up a permanent room when I'm only home for a few months at the most each year. A full time resident deserves that room.”

Helen wiped her eyes with a tissue and offered a fresh one to Beth. “I think Declan will like that.”

“Doesn't mean I've decided I'm not going to New York, or that I'm going to start popping out babies.” She wiped her eyes and stuffed the tissue into the pocket of her jeans.

“Of course not. You're young and there will be plenty of time for babies if you want them.”

“Will you come visit me in New York. Helen?”

“Every chance I get. I've been thinking for a while that I'd like you to take me on a tour of Subterra.”

Elizabeth shook her head, “You just want to size up my old Dommes.”

“Perhaps.”

“Possessive much?” That was something so completely Helen. Elizabeth sighed, “You don't have anything to worry about. I didn't love either of them. I love you.”

“Good.” Helen gave her a hint of a smile. “I won't have to arrange for some creature to eat them, then.”

Beth rolled her eyes. “If I make up with you, do I get steamy make-up sex?”

Helen laughed, “Oh absolutely. And gentle make-up sex and kinky make-up sex...”

“Airplane make-up sex?”

“Possibly. What is with the affair between you and my airplane?” The humor slipped from Helen's face. “I'm going to miss you, 'Lizabeth.”

“I'm right here. You don't have to miss me, yet.” It killed her to see Helen so sad. “You could feed me, I've got a terrible craving for real fish and chips since I've been home.”

Helen nodded, “Anything you like.” She stood and offered Elizabeth a hand.

If this was the way Helen made things up to her, Elizabeth groaned inwardly, she was doomed. “Something tells me you aren't going to let me stay broken up with you for very long, but I think I'm going to enjoy being broken up for a short time.”

"We'll just see about that."

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


End file.
